


Interlude

by Auggusst



Series: Heart and Mind [14]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anger, Angst, Bond Sickness, Conversations, Emotional Baggage, Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, M/M, Mpreg, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Pining, Pregnancy Cravings, Pregnant Tony Stark, Regret, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst
Summary: It's been a few days. Maybe things will change.
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Heart and Mind [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670740
Comments: 28
Kudos: 220





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> listen my brain really said 'fuck ur summary section'  
> anyway yes this piece is kinda short because I'm expecting the next one to be longer and I wanted to split em up  
> Got a commission to write and after that I'll be starting on it <3 Enjoy!

As expected, it took a long time for Tony to forgive his friends’ transgressions.

Three days later after the drama, he was still withdrawn, irritable, kept to himself when he could. He was more than a little snappy when he did speak, and shied away from touch more than he normally would. If looks could kill, Tony would be a mass murderer by now. Even the medical staff got a bit of attitude when they checked up on him yesterday to make sure he hadn’t lost any weight; He didn’t thankfully.

The only one to be spared his wrath in any form was Happy, because he hadn’t been part of the phone call plot, and had the benefit of arriving at the Compound with food every time he visited(Vision was spared Tony’s wrath too, but it was only because he kept his respectful distance and had from the start, was out of the Compound more often than not, at the beck and call of the UN.). Rhodey knew he was in for the long haul the first day, when Tony didn’t say anything to him at all after leaving his bedroom, gave him and Pepper a sharp glance, and walked directly over to Happy to secure the box of donuts he was holding as well as the caffeine-free iced coffee.

God, Tony missed caffeine.

Rhodey wasn’t particularly surprised at the harsh treatment. He had expected it from the start, knew he would be the subject of Tony’s ire for a while. He sympathized with his best friend, he really did, but what else was he to do? The situation would only keep getting worse if Rhodey hadn’t done anything. Now at least things would get better, theoretically. It still hurt, knowing that Tony was mad at him, that it had come to any of that. Maybe Rhodey had crossed a boundary, specifically with the use of his Alpha voice. He’d never used it against Tony, and Tony had never used it against him. It was an unspoken understanding they had, that they wouldn’t use it with each other. He knew Tony had some unpleasant experiences with it in the past, and most people did at some point or another, but Rhodey truly didn’t know what else to do. His hands had been tied. He’d tried for _months_ to get Tony to call Steve, to try and fix what was between them, but the brunet kept refusing until they ran out of options, quite literally.

It hurt, really, that it had come to this. Rhodey didn’t regret his decision, but he wished it hadn’t been necessary. The look in Tony’s eyes whenever he looked at Rhodey now was more than a little painful. He just hoped that with time, things would go back to normal. As long as Happy was keeping Tony company now, keeping him content for the time being, he could suffer his punishment.

Part of Tony knew that Rhodey had done what he did because he cared. Rhodey had looked out for him most of his life, would never purposefully hurt him, and was there through thick and thin, and that included this pregnancy. Another part of Tony had a hard time forgiving him, was bitter, and angry at his lack of autonomy, at the way his life seemed to be entirely out of control, in any and every aspect. He wasn’t sure when it had all gone downhill, but it seemed to have no signs of stopping. He hated that feeling, hated the way it made his stomach sink, made him feel trapped, and small, and unsettled, made him feel like a caged animal. He had held out hope that it wouldn’t come to any of this, that the things he’d suffered in the past would be enough to repent for his sins, his mistakes, but apparently it hadn’t been enough. Apparently, Tony would have to deal with this feeling indefinitely.

He knew he would have to forgive Rhodey eventually, but every time he looked at his best friend’s face now, he couldn’t help but remember their screaming match, the booming volume of Rhodey’s Alpha voice, and the unspoken promise that he’d broken. Promises didn’t seem to have a good track record in Tony’s life. Maybe he deserved to be bitter, just for a little while.

Pepper didn’t get quite as much of the cold shoulder, but Tony was cold nonetheless. After all, she hadn’t stopped Rhodey when he acted. Only Happy was innocent, wonderful, easy-to-talk-to Happy, who visited those first few days after the phone call at Tony’s request. They were together in the living room now, with Tony tearing into a cheeseburger and the Omega engrossed in a rerun of Downton Abbey. He’d always been fond of it, and Tony knew that. If he had to keep the brunet company, at least they could be doing something he enjoyed. Tony wasn’t exactly keeping up with all the details very well, his mind preoccupied, but the show seemed interesting enough.

“How’s the burger?” Happy asked, sipping on his soda.

“Really fucking good,” Tony sighed dreamily. “I would die for BK. Do you know that?”

Happy scoffed in amusement. “After following you around since the 90s, yeah I know that.”

Tony knew he’d said something along similar lines at least a thousand times, but he just. He couldn’t help it. He _loved_ his fast food, squeezed it into his normally decent diet as often as he could. Burger King was the height of fast food, in his eyes. There were few things a fresh Whopper couldn’t fix. Nowadays he especially loved them, craved them, amongst other things, including some combinations that were less than appealing normally, and eating one now let him forget his troubles for a few minutes, made him happy and relaxed and even a little emotional, honestly. The burger was so damn good he wanted to _cry._ God, hormones were weird.

His friend didn’t seem to mind though, just shook his head fondly as Tony took another bite, washed it down with a sip from his oreo shake.

“I’m glad I’m so predictable,” Tony replied after swallowing.

“Tony, you’re the least predictable person I’ve ever met. I never know what’s in store with you.”

The brunet scoffed. He had a point. “I never know either,” he admitted. The truth of that made him frown a little. He thought about the flip phone sitting in his pocket, set his burger back down on its wrapper.

His silence was telling enough. Happy regarded his friend, took in the sudden shift in his mood, reflected a little in his scent. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking about. “How are things?” he asked. He didn’t have to elaborate.

“We…I texted him this morning,” Tony said, drawing lines in the spot of ketchup on his burger wrapper with a fry. “He’s fine.”

“And you?”

Well. Tony supposed he was fine too. He was still upset, on multiple fronts, so his conversations with Steve were short, cursory still. There hadn’t been another phone call. Hearing Steve’s voice would end up making Tony forgive him a lot quicker than he wanted to, he was sure. It was easier through texts, let him keep some distance. He’d sent a photo of his latest Ultrasound the second day, and it made him kind of melancholy, made him wish for the thousandth time that it had all been different. He was sure Steve was enamored by it though, given his ‘thank you’ text. Tony considered sending a picture of himself too, and his growing baby bump, but he didn’t want to. Not yet, at least.

It was strange talking to Steve again. What was he supposed to talk about, anyways? They were in different timezones, with different lives now. It wasn’t like Steve was just away on a weekend trip or something. Most of the familiarity had been sucked out of their relationship, alongside the trust. Tony was still angry, and hurt, and just because he had to talk to Steve now, didn’t mean he was ready to fully embrace it. He shouldn’t have to, in his opinion. He made sure to have a short conversation daily, though, was sure that would be enough to jumpstart the healing process, to curb any more deterioration brought about by his sickness.

It was still irritating. Tony didn’t want to hear too much about the blond’s thoughts, or activities, to begin with. If Ross somehow discovered their phones, any and every piece of information would be used to incriminate him, and all of them, and the truth about Tony’s purposefully obsolete tracking algorithm would come out. If the UN found out Tony was protecting Steve and the others, even just indirectly, it could be disastrous. Tony still worried about it, a lot actually, especially knowing now that without contact with Steve, his condition would worsen, and endanger his baby’s life.

He didn’t know how to solve it all, and that was really annoying. Could it be solved? Was there a possibility that someday everything would be alright again? Tony wasn’t sure. One step at a time, he supposed. He was talking to Steve for his baby’s sake, and no more, he told himself. Steve had torn their world apart, and it would take a lot more than necessity for Tony to let him back in. (Even so, he dreamed about it, about a day with Steve at his side again, their child in his arms, and his blue eyes warm with affection. He dreamed that they could pick up where they left off, that the ever-present pain in his neck radiating from his bond mark would abate, that it would be filled with that euphoric, steady pulse it had given him when they first bonded.) It was too early for his efforts to take effect yet, for him to feel any less miserable, but something told him he would, if he kept it up, even if it was difficult.

“Well, I’m not dead yet,” Tony settled on, but realized that came across a little morose, and improper, given the situation. He sighed, brushed a hand through his hair. “I’m fine. I’m still…I’m mad as hell, pal, but I’ll survive,” he said.

Happy nodded in understanding. He’d always been a good listener, always knew how to get to the root of Tony’s problems. “The question is, what are you most mad about? Or who, I guess.”

Tony wasn’t sure. Who _was_ he most angry at right now? Steve? Rhodey? The team? Ross? Himself? He supposed it was a mixture of it all, one great big ugly beast, whose head alternated between all of the named figures.

“The world,” he decided on, and frowned a little.

“That’s a lot to be mad about,” Happy replied softly.

Tony scoffed a little. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

* * *

Steve was restless, in an entirely new sense of the word. He still felt sick, irritated, and an intense storm of emotion that could hardly be deciphered swirled around in his brain, but at least he wasn’t _entirely_ lost anymore. He was still lost, in more ways than one, but he wasn’t stumbling blindly in the dark anymore. His world had been uprooted, several times throughout his life, and now it had changed again, merely six months after its last upheaval. This time, it made him want to spring into action instead of to crumple up and die, made him want to chase the future, although he couldn’t. This time, Steve was going to be a father.

He was going to be a _father_. He’d wanted that, in the future. He wasn’t sure he’d ever have the opportunity for it, wasn’t sure it would ever become a reality. Well, now it was becoming a reality, albeit in a way he never anticipated. It seemed like punishment, like irony, that one of his dreams would come to fruition only after he had destroyed everything, had sacrificed and burned everything that would make the dream whole. It was what he deserved, he thought.

Tony was speaking to him now, instead of avoiding his messages, but Steve knew it was only for the sake of their child, for his health. Still, some contact was better than nothing, he supposed. Tony might not have been ready to offer Steve his forgiveness, would probably _never_ offer it, but at least Steve could have some kind of connection with him again, something concrete to hold on to, to keep him going.

He ached for more though. Hearing Tony’s voice on the phone the other day had made something gentle and warm flow through him, which all but disappeared when the phone call was over, and he had to face his reality again. Texts just weren’t the same, but Steve was in no position to make any demands, and he knew it. He wanted to _do_ more though. He wanted to pack up, and fly home, wanted to be there for Tony and the baby in person, like he was supposed to be. He wanted to be the mate he was supposed to be, but the brunet had essentially forbidden him from doing that, because of the repercussions it could bring about, and that made him restless.

His team wasn’t in good spirits either. They decided to lay low for a little while. Wanda’s wound was still healing up, and it would take a while for her to get back on her feet properly. They didn’t want to risk any more combat situations, any more injuries for the time being. Sam was still angry with Steve, rightfully so he supposed, and the UN was on high alert after their disaster of a last mission. They were hiding out in a small city in northern Albania, in a forest near the foot of a mountain. The ruins of a castle could be seen a few miles from here, and if Steve still drew, he would’ve liked to capture the scene on paper.

He thought about Tony. When didn’t he, really? But it was quiet this morning, kind of lonely, with only a few pedestrians going by the windows of their small apartment. He thought it might rain later, if the cloud cover was any indication. Sam had gone to the market with Nat half an hour ago, and Wanda was still asleep. Market duty usually belonged to him and Sam, but it was clear the Beta was still holding a grudge, didn’t want to spend much more time with Steve.

The news that Tony was pregnant was shocking, in more ways than one. When Rhodey first called, Steve looked like he was going to throw up. Nat was surprised he hadn’t passed out, honestly. He spent the rest of the flight to Albania in kind of a stupor, sitting in his seat and staring down at his hands, eyes kind of wide, as if the rug had been pulled out from under him. They supposed it had.

Hearing that Tony was carrying added another layer of resentment, of regret, to their current life path. Sam was confident now, alongside Natasha, that they’d made a mistake, that he had made a mistake in following Steve. Maybe there really had been a better option back then. Maybe Tony could’ve shown it to them, if they had listened. Now the team was split apart, and both Alphas were suffering Bond Sickness, and had a _kid_ on the way, that had little hope of growing up with a ‘normal’ family unit. Sam didn’t doubt that Pepper and Rhodey would be there, at Tony’s side, but still. With a bond like Steve and Tony’s, there were sure to be some adverse effects from the blond’s absence that would persist for years to come. That was, if they didn’t find a way to fix this whole mess, and get Steve back where he belonged.

The part of Sam that was bitter wondered why he was even thinking of it, of trying to find a way to solve Steve’s problem. He’d been foolish, they all had, and were paying the price for it now. Why should Steve get to have his transgressions swept away, and be rewarded with a dream life? Why was he more deserving of rest and happiness than the rest of them were? Just because he happened to get his mate pregnant before the start of all of this? Sam had half a mind to leave the soldier his to his just desserts.

He knew it was just his anger talking, though. Steve had never intended for things to end up like this, that much he knew. He thought he was doing what was right, what was best for all of them, and Sam had believed him. Still. He was irritated, and worried about the future, and it would take a few days to cool down, to be ready to follow Steve in any capacity again.

He just hoped that his newfound communication with Tony would straighten the Alpha out, fix his mind at least a _little_.

Steve was looking down at his phone _again_ when Nat and Sam returned from the market with a meager breakfast. Sam went to go check on Wanda while Natasha settled next to Steve at the window, arms crossed.

“You get any more pictures?” she asked, nodding towards the phone in his hands.

Steve shook his head. “Nah. Just the one,” he replied, and ducked his head a little, like he was embarrassed at being caught looking at it.

The Ultrasound picture wasn’t amazing, to be honest. Tony’s thumb was in one of the corners, and there was a little bit of a glare on the photo (part of Steve thought Tony had taken a sub-par picture on purpose, just to be petty) and Ultrasound pictures by nature weren’t all that easy to decipher, but he could see it, could see the clear outline of the baby’s body, his little hands curled up to his chest. It made Steve’s heart ache in a way he wasn’t familiar with, enraptured him every time he looked at it. That was his baby. His and Tony’s. The reality of that was still astonishing.

Natasha regarded him with amusement, took in his borderline reverent gaze on the tiny screen of his phone. It made her sad almost immediately though, made her regret everything all over again. Steve was supposed to be home, they all were. They could all have shared in this at one time, the excitement of it. They could have been a proper team, a proper family. Tony and Steve’s child could have grown surrounded by them all, loved and cared for. It would naturally be cared for in any situation, but still. Natasha would have liked to be a part of the baby’s life, his upbringing. They had all forfeited that possibility before even knowing it was one though, and it made more than a little guilt spread in her chest.

“I’m sure he’ll send another,” she offered, though she wasn’t sure if Tony would. He was stubborn, they both were, and was more than capable of keeping a grudge, she was sure. He may have deserved to keep this one, knowing all that had happened now. Nat couldn’t have imagined what it was like, how he was doing. She wondered if things would ever go back to the way they were between Tony and Steve, and the team in general, if the opportunity arose. Would Tony forgive them? Did he even _want_ them all back? Nat wasn’t sure. She would be hard pressed to forgive them all too, in his situation.

“I don’t know,” Steve replied. “He doesn’t like to talk much. It’s like he’s just going through the motions, like it’s a chore for him,” he said, and his brows knit. He looked out the window again. The street had gotten a little more busy in the last half hour. He watched a woman tugging a small cart full of grocery bags down the sidewalk.

“Can you blame him?” Nat asked softly. She knew this whole thing wasn’t easy on Steve, but it certainly wasn’t any easier on Tony, she presumed. It might have been _worse_ on Tony’s end.

“No,” Steve sighed, and dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling shame. “No I can’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! As always leave your thoughts in a comment!!


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